Winter had truly set in, and the bite in the air was relentless. It made the pull of the kotatsu almost impossible to resist. As if to encourage our laziness, dinner was served as a hot pot meal right there at the table. This made it even harder to leave. At that point, the only thing that could force me to stand up was a trip to the outhouse.
For dinner, we had a chicken hot pot loaded with wild vegetables. I enjoyed it with a citrus-based condiment, which added a refreshing touch. Dining with me in the warmth of the kotatsu were Lu, Tia, Ria, and Aegis, the phoenix chick.
I found myself wondering the same thing every time: was this actually okay for Aegis? I wasn't referring to the dexterous way he used a spoon, but the fact that we were eating a chicken hot pot. Then again, I supposed carnivorous birds ate other birds in the wild all the time. It was a conversation we had likely had many times before.
Aegis let out a chirp, seemingly telling me to stop worrying and pass the sauce.
"Yes, yes. You want the Yuzu Pepper, don't you? Here you go."
"Oh, I was curious about that too," Lu said, reaching out. "Let me have some next."
I passed the small dish of Yuzu Pepper to her.
"The fragrance is wonderful, and it has such a lovely, spicy kick," Tia added, already enjoying her portion.
"Thank you. Ria helped me prepare it," I said.
Ria, however, looked a bit sheepish. "I worked hard combining various ingredients with the yuzu peel, though the final product turned out a bit... unusual."
Lu tilted her head, asking what was so strange about it.
"To tell you the truth," Ria explained, "that Yuzu Pepper doesn't actually contain any pepper at all."
"Eh? Really?"
"Yes. In my pursuit of the exact flavor the Village Head was looking for, we ended up with a version that omits the pepper entirely. I really think we ought to change the name, Village Head."
"I do wonder if it's right to call it 'pepper' when there isn't a grain of it inside," Lu agreed.
They both had a point, but the Yuzu Pepper I remembered from my old life was exactly like this. I wondered if I should have added a tiny bit of pepper just for the sake of the name.
"Now, now," Tia said, coming to my rescue. "There are no complaints about the taste, so why not just treat the name as a way to keep the secret ingredients under wraps?"
With Tia's support, the recipe remained pepper-free, and the name stayed exactly as it was.
Once we finished the meal, we lingered in the kotatsu to relax. We spent the rest of the evening chatting over tea freshly brewed by the High Ogre Maids.
The discussions regarding sending Torain to the Academy were finally moving forward. I had my anxieties, but I was sure he would be fine. One of the Mountain Elves would be accompanying him—the girl who was always by his side. If possible, I wanted to send a few more adults along as guards, but we were running into a bit of a snag.
The Angel Race was the group with the most spare manpower, but apparently, their reputation in the Demon Kingdom was less than stellar. The Demon King had warned me that while they might be welcome in Village Five or Shashaato City, I should avoid sending them to the Royal Capital because they were likely to cause unnecessary friction. Because of that, I was currently consulting with Beezel, Randan, and Gratz to see if I could borrow some of their staff instead.
I had spoken to Hou as well, but I had already tasked her with looking after Gol, Sil, and Bron. Even though I recognized them as full-fledged adults now that they were married, I couldn't help but remember them as the rowdy boys they were when they first arrived. They had really started running wild around the time Urza joined the village. It must have been her influence. I liked to think it was a positive influence, at least.
As we were talking, one of the Fenrirs padded over to the side of the kotatsu.
"What is it? Do you want to get in?" I asked.
The Fenrir shook its head and let out a low bark. A blizzard was coming. They predicted a massive storm would arrive by tomorrow night.
"I see. Got it. Thank you for the warning."
The sun had already set, so we would have to start our preparations first thing in the morning. I reached out and patted the Fenrir's head in thanks. Since they didn't have horns like the wolves, they were quite easy to pet—though I made sure not to say that out loud, or Kuro and the others would have spent the rest of the night pouting.
"Lu, Tia, Ria—you heard that, right? Sorry, but I need you to contact the various departments. Tomorrow is going to be a busy day."
"Yes, leave it to us," Lu replied.
"The Angel Race will turn out in full force to help," Tia added.
"We High Elves won't be outdone either!" Ria declared.
Despite their energetic responses, none of them actually moved.
"Ehehe... I just can't bring myself to leave the kotatsu yet," Lu admitted.
"Just a few more minutes until I'm properly warmed up," Tia pleaded.
"Indeed," Ria agreed.
I didn't mind them taking a moment, so long as they didn't forget to make the rounds eventually.
The next morning, I stood in front of the mansion and looked up at the sky. The weather was already turning sour. Just as the Fenrir had warned, it looked like a blizzard would set in by nightfall.
"Village Head," a girl from the Beastman Race called out. "We re-inspected the sheds in the ranch area. Everything is in order. We'll start gathering the animals earlier than usual today."
"Good. Let's aim to have them all inside shortly after noon."
Next, a High Elf arrived with a report. "Village Head, we've completed the inspection of the residential area. There are no structural issues. However, as a precaution, we're going to have the residents gather in a few of the larger houses."
"Understood. The inn will be open for anyone who needs it, and they’re welcome here at the mansion as well."
As the High Elf headed back to the residential area, a member of the Centaur Race arrived to give the periodic update from the other villages.
"Village Head, thank you for the notice. Village One, Village Two, and Village Three have all begun their blizzard protocols. We have ample food and fuel. We could last until spring if we had to."
That was a relief to hear, though I hoped it wouldn't come to that. I reminded them to suspend the regular reports once the storm hit to avoid any accidents or people getting stranded. They saluted and headed toward the mansion to rest.
Finally, Tou from Village Four arrived.
"Village Head, the final transport to Village Four is leaving soon. Any last-minute messages?"
"No, we're all set. I don't think the Universal Ship will be able to fly for a while, so you should use the time to perform maintenance over there."
"Got it. But give us a signal if you need anything. I'll come running immediately."
"I appreciate it. I'm counting on you."
"You bet. Oh, by the way, the hot spring area seems to be doing fine. Although Yor was complaining that she wanted weapons that would actually work in the middle of a blizzard."
"She never changes, does she?"
Tou laughed. "Never. But I guess that’s just her charm, so I can't really get mad."
He paused for a moment, his expression turning serious. "One last check... are you sure we shouldn't take Big Sister Ann and Big Sister Ramrias back to Village Four with us?"
I had suggested that the two of them evacuate to Village Four or Village Five because of their pregnancies, but they had refused point-blank. They insisted that they wouldn't run away while the village was facing a crisis. Since they were both still healthy and mobile, I hadn't been able to win the argument. If they were closer to their due dates, I would have forced the issue, but for now, I had reached a compromise.
"They've decided to stay. We've set them up in the safest place in the mansion—my room."
Tou nodded. "I see. Sorry for the unnecessary question."
"Not at all. I appreciate the concern."
I watched Tou depart and looked up at the darkening sky once more.
We had also considered evacuating the children to Village Five, but that idea had been rejected as well. It wasn't because of the past troubles we’d had during evacuations. The buildings here were sturdy, and both my wives and Dos had pointed out that running away every time there was a storm wasn't a good precedent to set. Dos had argued that it was important for the village to face these ordeals together as one.
He was probably right, but as a father, the thought of the children getting hurt was still terrifying. Dos had told me that a person could die just as easily while walking on a sunny day, which was true enough, but it didn't do much to settle my nerves.
As a final safety measure, I had Lu install a short-distance teleportation gate in the basement of the mansion. It was linked to the Great Tree Dungeon, which would allow for an immediate escape to Village Five if things truly took a turn for the worse. It wasn't activated yet, but it was there just in case. If we hadn't had that fallback, I likely would have insisted on the children leaving, even if I had to lose an argument or two to make it happen.
But I couldn't let my guard down now. The storm was coming, and we had to be ready.